Amid all the recent sunshine, exploring the outdoors is one way to brush away the lingering winter. There's always the option of napping in the Arboretum, slacklining on the quad or walking around historic Gimghoul neighborhood, but some of the area's best kept outdoor secrets lie just outside of campus. Down Highway 15-501, on the way to Pittsboro, the Haw River access point at Bynum dam is frequented by kayakers, hikers and families seeking an afternoon's adventure.
But tucked a little deeper along on the banks of the Haw lies the real treat—a rope swing that many locals regard as one of the season's best kept secrets.
“It was definitely a rite of passage for my children, they all loved it,” said Bett Wilson Foley, a Pittsboro native and member of the town's board of commissioners.
From the days spent hiking it as a child, to falling in love on its banks with her husband, to swimming up to dam for the first time, the Haw has had a lot of personal meaning for Foley through the years. Additionally, what initially was a polluted river unsuitable for swimming is now a clean natural environment that begs to be explored on warm weekends.
“It wasn't until recent years when my sister told me she enjoyed swimming in it,” Foley said. “It made me so happy to swim in the Haw River.”
A 20-minute commute away from campus, swimming in the Haw is not the only perk of the area. On any given warm day, it is popular to find people fishing or simply lounging on its banks. But the rope swing isn't as obvious of an attraction, and is usually only discovered via word of mouth.
“You just have to know about it,” Foley said.
And it seems that in one capacity or another, there has always been an elusive rope swing hiding along the banks of the river. According to Ben Clarke, a UNC junior from Pittsboro, there used to be a well-known rope swing along farther down the bank, but the tree it was attached to now rests in the murky river water.
The newest rope swing is in a different location, and is about two years old, Clarke said. While he can't remember how he specifically found out about it, he has been a few times with friends and recounts some memorable visits. For many, the rope swing and nearby platform have become a place to show just how far you will go to prove yourself.
“One time, a kid climbed to the top where the ropes are and then past the ropes and then did 3 somersaults off the tree into the water,” Clarke said.
Foley's first time at the swing saw similar feats, as she described seeing “several UNC students who just ran right up the tree and jumped into the water,” without hesitation. While the steep tree from which the swing hangs is a welcomed challenge, it's slightly precarious the first go around and might require both hands and feet to scale.
“This one is more fun for me because of its height and has a little bit of an angle,” Foley said.
Foley last visited the rope swing at the end of summer 2011 and hopes to return to it time after time again in the future, as long as it remains intact.
Since the Haw River is part of the state park system and is monitored by park rangers, various past rope swings have been cut down in the past. Although Clarke said in general that the state parks surrounding Pittsboro are not particularly well tended to, this isn't necessarily the case with this area of the Haw River.
“I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little more policed,” Clarke said. “Park rangers come and cut it down, or in the case of the original rope swing, the tree fell into the water.”
But park rangers and fallen trees aside, the resilient rope swing aficionados never fail to set up another one in a new spot. A time-honored tradition, it's looks like this is one simple attraction that is here to stay, offering a summer of fun for all ages.
Keeping the secret
For those with the specific directions, the swing itself isn't particularly hard to find, but it requires a sense of adventure.
Pull off into the gravel parking lot just before the bridge over Bynum dam on 15-501 and you'll find a well-beaten path to follow toward the river's shore. When you pass the concrete portion of the dam on your left, you're apt to find day-drinking college students or a few lone fisherman on the banks below it. As the path curves through soggy mud and teeming grass, it trails off away from the dam and continues closely along the stretching bank.
Follow it back for about half a mile, and you'll find the fallen tree, the large remnant of the old swing Clarke mentioned, and perhaps a few daredevils jumping into the river from the top of nearby tree. But if the current rope swing is your final quest, you've gone a little too far. To get there, retrace your steps, secure those waterproof shoes, drop the belongings and prepare to swim the width of the river to an island found adjacent to the dam.
Getting onto the shore won't be an easy task, but as Foley suggests, it's helpful to use some vines to pull yourself onto the bank. For a moment, there is a sense that you've arrived to an overgrown jungle, full of tall grass, a variety of thorns and a tangle of weathered trees. From this point, you are left to discover the swing yourself, but if you've chosen a popular day, there are guaranteed to be shrills of delight ringing in the distance.
“It's pretty popular already, which is usually a minus,” Clarke said. “I don't think I've ever gone and been the only group there.”
On any given weekend, you can find several groups milling around the swing, making it a little less special and exclusive. But no matter the size of the crowd, when its your turn at the swing, nothing can beat the rush of nerves as you scale the makeshift ladder, inch out onto the branch and bravely fling yourself into the inviting river below.
Securing the Haw's future
“It's definitely something that I love,” Foley said of the Haw River. “I know if I just need some peace, it's a very spiritual place and I'm glad it's there and I'm glad its clean.”
As a member of Pittsboro's Board of Commissioners, Foley has expressed her interest in keeping the Haw River and the dam a clean and safe natural attraction, as well as potentially helping develop it into a kayak and canoe trail.
“There is a lot of movement to create an ongoing park along the Haw River,” Foley said. “It feels exciting to me to be on the town board and that I can make sure the river is protected.”
As the Haw River continues to grow in prominence, it's true the rope swing has started to attract more people. Yet it remains a special place for Foley, whose life will always be entwined with the river, and keeping it that way is important. In the future, she hopes that people continue to come back to the river and the swing for enjoyment, just as she does time and time again. When others come to love it like she does, it will only help the community grow in its conservation efforts and preservation of the Haw.
“It's really neat to see the rope swing and there are always children there,” Foley said. “The more people enjoy the river, the more they will want to take care of it.”
